Landon's Sweet Baby Blanket - FREE PATTERN

Landon's Sweet Baby Blanket

Well, it's a good thing that I actually kept notes and wrote myself a basic pattern for the blanket I made for our family friend's baby named Landon, it seems he's gone viral overnight!  I posted his picture last night on the Midwest Yarn Facebook page upon receiving the appreciation photo - actually, my husband got it texted to him with a follow up saying that the picture was too cute and he might want to hide it from me (because I love baby pictures!).

So Landon's Sweet Baby Blanket is quite simple to do and it's a perfect weekend project to whip up if you have a short deadline like I did.

Gauge:
5 sts per in on US 6 or size to obtain gauge

What you'll need:

• 40" US 6 Circular Needle or size to obtain gauge (I used a US 5 because I wanted my stitches to be tighter together - big or loose sts mean little fingers can get tangled up in there)
• Five 50g balls of Main Color - Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo Color 157
• Two 50g balls of Complimentary Color - Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo Color 169

Glossary:
MC: Main Color
CC: Complementary Color
slm: slip marker
pm: place marker

Instructions:

Cast on 140 sts in CC.  Work in garter st until blanket measures 2" from cast on edge.

Switch to MC.

Row 1: Work first row of letter chart, pm, k to end of row.
Row 2: Purl to marker, slm, work next row of chart.
Row 3: Work next row of chart, slm, k to end of row.

Repeat Rows 2 & 3 until letter chart is complete.

Continue in st st in MC until blanket measures 28" from cast on edge, ending on a WS row.

Switch to CC.

Work in garter st for 2". Bind off loosely.

To complete borders, pick up about 3 sts for every 4 rows along side of blanket. Work in garter st for 1/2". Bind off loosely. Repeat on other side.

Weave in ends. Lightly steam to block.

L - Chart

Feel free to request a copy of a chart for a different letter by emailing me at info@midwestyarn.com, I'll happily send it to you in JPEG format and post a copy here for everyone else.  

Also, if you make this blanket and are on Ravelry.com, make sure to link a project to this free pattern.  I'm interested to see finished projects from this pattern and to know how you like yours.  :)

Update
Here are the charts for the letters that have been requested:

For Little Ones in Need

Knit and Crochet For Little Ones in Need

Ever since her birth back in October 2011, I've been following little Maia Cavanaugh - the daughter of two people I grew up with - and her progress with her many medical complications: Down's Syndrome, heart surgery, gi tubes, etc.  This adorable little girl's story is not only inspirational, but also impressive because she and her family have survived so many things in the past 15 months.

When checking email while on vacation, I was shocked to find that she had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Lukemia (AML) requiring 6 to 9 months of inpatient care!  Many friends and family have stepped up to help with meals and care of Maia's older brother Noah, who is Vincent's age.

Since we fiber artists have a lot of causes that we like to contribute to (ie, The Linus Project, etc.), I wanted to ask if anyone would be interested in knitting or crocheting items for Maia and her brother, Noah.  They are likely to be going back and forth to the hospital during the next several months, most of which during the winter and spring.  Before starting any projects, please let me know if you are interested by responding in any of the following ways:

• here on the blog in the comments
• email: melina@midwestyarn.com
• Twitter
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/midwestyarn

A friend of their family is coordinating a lot of the physical help they will receive and I have been in touch with her.  Should we get a lot of interest, items that Noah and Maia can use will be sent to them directly and the remainder will be donated to Children's Hospital in Madison on Maia's behalf, because there are plenty of children in need of something to help brighten their day during a particularly difficult time in their lives.

Potential items include:

• Hats
• Mittens
• Blankets
• Cardigans (I will check on sizes for both of them) - please, no pullovers because Maia has tubes and wires for treatment
• Yarn - maybe - for example, if you don't have time, yarn can be donated to other members of the fiber community to knit/crochet donated items

More details to follow as we get an idea of who is interested and the potential for donated items.  I wish there was more I, personally, could do, but unfortunately, I am unable to donate blood or marrow due to my own autoimmune condition.

If you'd like to read more about Maia, please visit her Caring Bridge.org page at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/maiacavanaugh

I Love What I Do!

This evening while eating dinner in our office, I turned and looked at my husband and said, "This is really gonna happen..."  We were eating at the table I purchased for classes in the shop and it just hit me that starting a yarn shop was no longer a dream, it's a reality!  I have all of the larger "fixtures" for the store, and the rest will all be incidentals.  Of course, there's all that fun business stuff that needs to be taken care of before we open, but that's just a matter of time (and paperwork).

My goal is to get a lot of things second hand or "found" in nature.  I've come across things like hat boxes, interesting dress forms, some cool artwork, or even pieces that speak to me.  I a battered suitcase for decoration, a metal milk jug, and plenty of baskets.  My mother is also giving me a lot of her old baskets that she used to make when I was younger!

In the mean time, I've been knitting like crazy for both Sock Madness and what is to be the first knit along.  Round 1 for sock madness started out with a pair of socks that require a set of dice to choose at random whether or not you will C2F every 4th row.  The result is a pair of "mismatched" socks with cables randomly happening along the instep and leg.  I took (bad) progress pictures along the way and to submit at the end of the round.

I dyed the sock yarn with
Black Cherry Kool-Aid!

At the end of each day of frantic sock knitting, I'd spend my evenings "resting" by starting the All the Stops dress, a great pattern in Juniper Moon Farm's Findley Dappled booklet.  I'll be able to post a few pictures in a few days, as we've got terrible lighting in the house and pictures are not turning out quite right.  I want to be able to do this yarn justice because the variegated Findley Dappled is breathtaking, no matter what colorway you're using!  It feels like pure silk as I knit (it should, it's 50% silk and 50% merino wool).

Peanut, my son, checks out the shelves I plan
to use for Juniper Moon Farm yarns.  :)

It was first hard to imagine how this dress was going to turn out, but it became apparent quickly that the two stitches surrounded by stitch markers are where the shoulder seam is to be.  From there, you work your way down in three sections - left front, back, and right front.  I am now to where dart decreases are made.  I've sewn darts before, but have never knit darts, an interesting concept, but they serve the same purpose - to tailor the bust line. So far, it appears that I may be the only one who's documented doing this pattern (other than the tester), so I hope someone joins me in this project soon.  My dress, once complete, will be displayed in the shop and I'll also be wearing it on a cruise in January 2013, assuming I don't gain a massive amount of weight before then.

 Last, but not least, I got permission to share an appreciation photo from the layette set I designed and made for my hubby's boss.  I know I posted it on Facebook, but here's the little boy wearing the hat and socks from the set.  I was also told that they're giving me a copy of him in the whole outfit once they get the pictures from the hospital photographer.

Don't forget: Noro Ayatori yarns are here in 6 great colors!  It's DK, 60% wool, 40% silk and absolutely wonderful. I almost felt like it was my birthday 3 months early when I got the big package on Friday.  It ships same day and you won't want to put this yarn down.